PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (March 16, 2017) — The Vassar College women's lacrosse team (2-2) toppled Fitchburg State University (2-3) in Port Charlotte, FL on Thursday, 14-2.
With the win, the Brewers complete their spring break trip with a perfect 2-0 record, having beaten the University of New England two days earlier.
Against the Falcons, Storm Sideleau led the Brewers in scoring with a hat trick, while Fiona MacLeod, Kelly Pushie and Tessa Waters posted three points apiece on two goals and an assist.
Emily Hamburger and Adele MacEwen netted two scores apiece, while Gabi Patick potted one. Brittany Botticelli, Hannah Cho, Grace Goodwin-Boyd and Julia Trudell all dished out one assist to round out the Brewer offense.
"Our defense really stepped up," said MacLeod, who was solid across the board with three ground balls, two draw controls and a pair of created turnovers. "Our caused turnovers, our doubles pressure was there, and all of our offensive efforts come from our defense, so it was good."
Emily Chancey earned the win for Vassar with three saves in the first half before Kristin Caolo took over to make two stops in in the second. Meanwhile, Marguerite Belcher took the loss for FSU, fending away eight shots over the full time, as the Brewers outshot the Falcons 30-8 overall and 22-7 in shots-on-goal. VC also won the ground ball battle 24-15 and the draw control battle 14-3.
"It was a great team effort all the way around," coach Judy Finerghty said. "We looked to slow the ball down a little bit, play a little more controlled and possession-oriented game. Keep the fouls to a minimal, and try to win the ground ball war. I think we covered that, as well as the draw dominance. Good game for us."
The Brewers opened their game against the Falcons with a 3-0 run. Pushie and Waters scored within the first three minutes before MacLeod capped the burst with a free position shot.
Ali Laferriere put the Falcons on the board with an unassisted score, but the Brewers bridged a 9-0 run over the first and second halves. Seven different Brewers scored in the surge, including Sideleau and MacEwen, who both netted two in the span.
The run gave Vassar a 12-1 lead at the 7:45 mark. About two minutes later, FSU's Lindsey Luksha scored off a pass by Kayla Panek to pull as close as 12-2. The Falcons pulled no closer, as Hamburger and Sideleau concluded scoring with a pair of goals in the final final minutes, 12-4.
Vassar returns to Poughkeepsie for a four-game stretch, hosting Connecticut College (Wednesday, March 22 at 2 p.m.), Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham (Friday, March 24 at 3:30 p.m.), Union College (Friday, March 31 at 4 p.m.) and William Smith College (Saturday, April 1 at 2 p.m.) at Weinberg Turf Field.
"I feel like we're developing at the right pace," Finerghty said. "Hopefully, we'll be hitting our stride by the time we start our league play."
—VASSAR—
